The present invention relates to a device for the counting of coins.
In generally known devices the individual coins are separated for counting by a centrifugal disc, above which a slot is formed which permits the individual coins to be fed onto sequentially to a counter the movement between the slot and counter is taken over by a coin transporter having a define passageway with an endless conveyor belt running above the coins. The passing width of the passageway and the slot width through which the coins are fed are both adjustable jointly according to the diameter and the thickness of the coins by a single adjusting knob.
Such a counting device, which has in practical use proven itself many times has been described in this basic structure in the German unpublished patent specification No. OS 28 48 760. It is evident that this device permits a throughput constituting many times that of the counting machines known up to this time. This is attributable primarily to the compulsory guidance of the coins which is maintained up to the end of the counter by the belt drive associated with the coin transporter. Nevertheless, it is this high throughput which creates another problem, namely in the coin transporter. In operation, the belt drive remains practically unchanged, with regard to its contact pressure, and therefore has to be adjusted always to the smallest occurring coin thickness. This has the result that a desired maximum contact pressure is exceeded with large coins of proportionately large thickness. Extreme differences among the types of coins in a greatly variable running behavior of the entire machine, causes increased wear of the conveyor belt and guide parts, as well as in the creation of noise which is perceived as disturbing in office operations. Previously, this problem could only be eliminated by manual adjustment of the coin transporter, requiring the services of an expert.
This resulted in the task underlying the invention, namely to create for such counting devices an automatic adjustment of the conveyor belt or, respectively, the coin transporter to consistently provide equal contact pressure for all types of coin, and to eliminate the disadvantages still present in this respect in the known devices.